And Then the Moment Comes
by DevinBourdain
Summary: Chip needs a little cheering up and a night out might just do the trick.  Warning: one bad word.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea characters are not mine, just borrowed for this story.

Reviews are always welcome.

And Then the Moment Comes

It was the Nelson Institute for Marine Research annual charity ball. This Friday night event saw the entire senior staff of NIMR, several representatives from the navy and scientific community, government officials, as well as charitable benefactors and the usual representatives of the local high society. The evening was typically filled with fine food, wine, dancing, and the required socializing that Nelson encouraged his officers to perform on behalf of the Institute.

_It wasn't the worst way to spend an evening_ thought Lee Crane who would rather be somewhere out in the ocean on his sleek sub. His current flavour of the week seemed to enjoy the chance to socialize with those present. It wasn't that Crane wanted a different girl at every port or a new one on his arm at every event, but it was hard to maintain meaningful long long-term relationships when most of his time was spent at work. Rebecca could be the exception to this rule. Things had been going well for the last two months. His current happiness did make him feel rather guilty tonight.

All through dinner he watched Chip Morton, executive officer and his best friend, sit quietly only giving brief answers when addressed. The man was clearly miserable. Earlier that week the tall blond had been looking forward to bringing his current girlfriend, the lovely Jenna, to the benefit. Jenna loved big parties, dinner and dancing and Chip could also introduce her to his colleagues. The Captain had already been given the pleasure of meeting the woman that had been making his friend happy for the last four months. Lee suspected the word lovely would no longer be used to describe Jenna. Five days ago she informed Chip that she preferred the company of a young doctor she had met a month ago.

Crane didn't have a chance to talk to his friend much at dinner; Nelson had asked him to chat up Mrs. Winston, one of the Institute's largest donators. After dinner didn't offer any opportunities either and he watched Chip head out to the balcony while he tried to excuse himself from the conversation with Admirals Nelson and Clark, without success.

It was a clear night, the stars were shining bright and a cool breeze was blowing. Morton leaned against the balcony railing staring off into the distance. The soft melody of the music and laughter from guests filtered outside, but it did not disrupt Chip's thoughts.

"Want to talk about it?" came the soft, gentle voice of Ryan. She stood by the railing in her little black dress with her black hair pulled back, cascading down her back in soft waves. Her diamond earrings and necklace sparkled in the moonlight. If it had been any other night Chip would have thought she was the picture of beauty and grace, but tonight he was preoccupied with more pressing thoughts.

The question startled Chip. He hadn't heard anyone come out on the balcony. He wasn't sure how long he had let his mind wonder.

"Not a lot to talk about," was the simple reply.

"Maybe, maybe not. You could always try me." Ryan turned from watching the waves kiss the beach to face Chip who continued to stare off at the horizon.

"It's a lovely night; you don't want me to ruin it with tales of heartbreak and self pity."

"Misery loves company, and I am willing to be your company. Besides, if I have to listen to another story about Mrs. Winston's cat . . . I might be on the verge of not being polite," she offered with a heart-warming smile.

Ryan Mackenzie was Nelson's personal assistant and had been with NIMR for the last four years. Her duties included organizing the Admiral's schedule, standing in for Nelson at different events and meetings while he was out at sea, business research, and any other odd jobs the Admiral could dream up. The wide variety or of duties that Ryan performed allowed her to form relationships with most or of the crew and all or of the senior staff of _Seaview._ Despite her friendship with most of the employees of NIMR, she still managed to maintain an air of mystery about her and her personal life.

"It's the same old story, boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy thinks things are going well, girl tells boy she's been having an affair with someone much more exciting and interesting for about a month," the wounded officer offered.

"That bitch!" blurted Ryan.

Chip turned and smiled at Ryan. He didn't think he'd ever heard her swear before, but she did hit the nail on the head.

"Chip, of all the things in the world that you could be possibly lacking, excitement and interest are not among them. Any girl that tells you otherwise is clearly not the girl for you."

"That's sweet of you, but it's not the first time that has been cited as the reason for the demise of my relationships."

Ryan stared at the XO for a few moments. Her concerned expression turned to a smile as she grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?" asked Chip somewhat confused as she dragged him back into the ballroom and towards the back of the room.

"Somewhere where I can show you how wrong you and she, who shall remain nameless, are about you," stated Ryan as though there was never a doubt about it.

"But what about the party? The Admiral expects all of us to be here. He's going to be less than thrilled if he finds out we snuck out. Besides, I didn't even want to be here tonight, I really don't think I want to go anywhere else besides home," complained the exec.

Ryan stopped just before the door to the kitchen. "Chip, we need to fix a broken heart and we can't do it at this monkey suit gathering. The Admiral is keeping a somewhat close eye on the front door to prevent our early escapes to freedom but he does not pay too much attention to the side exits. Every event goes the same way: Mrs. Winston talks about her cat, Admiral Lockerbie has a little too much to drink and starts to flirt with Mrs. Alben, the trophy wife of Mr. Alben who is too busy telling everyone how his company is going to take over the world with its ingenuity, Admiral Stark will say something snarky to Lee, some pretty daughter of a rich tycoon will spend the night dancing with O'Brien and some scientist will discuss a possible venture for _Seaview_ and the Institute. So when Nelson mentions that he didn't see you after nine o'clock just bring up one of those topics and he'll believe you were here."

"I don't know about this Ryan," wavered Chip wavered.

"Hey, if the Admiral gets mad, you just let me know and I'll deal with Sparky!"

"Sparky?" puzzled Chip.

"Never mind, I'm sworn to secrecy." With a somewhat evil grin she replied, "Someone needs to show you just how exciting and interesting you can be and I need a partner in crime. Besides have I ever steered you wrong before sailor?" And with that she pulled him through the kitchen door and down the stairs to the back exit.

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

.

* * *

><p>The next day<p>

The pounding sound was getting old. Chip slowly opened his eyes and waited for the world to come into focus. Gradually his mind clicked that the pounding was someone knocking at the door, his door. The sunlight through the window was awfully bright as he made his unsteady way down the stairs and to the front door.

"Lee? What time is it?"

"It's ten am. You look like hell buddy!"

Chip pushed the door wide open and proceeded to stagger to the couch. Water bottles, both empty and full, decorated the coffee table along with a bottle of aspirin. As he flopped down on the couch he asked, "Did you get the licence plate of the truck that hit me?"

Normally, opening a bottle of aspirin was a simple task but this morning it was presenting a slight challenge. His efforts were finally rewarded and Chip swallowed the little pill, while reaching for one of the bottles of water. He glanced up as Lee closed the door behind him and sat down on the nearby chair. The blond noticed what was in Crane's hand.

"What's with the picnic basket, Yogi Bear?"

"I went into the office this morning to grab some paperwork and Ryan was there. After she chased me out of the office saying I should get a life outside of work, I said I was going to go and check on you. You seemed to disappeared last night and I wanted to make sure you were doing ok after, you know."

"Ryan was in the office this morning?" Chip knew how he felt; he couldn't imagine having to drag himself to the office this morning. "Wait, its Saturday, what was she doing there on a Saturday, and what does that have to do with the picnic basket?"

"Apparently O'Brien is going to run a marathon and Ryan agreed to help him train, so the two of them go running every Saturday morning when he's here. She had to stop by the office because she left her runners there."

"She was going running? I was with her last night and I don't think I could make it off this couch anytime soon and she's running," Chip chocked out.

"She was a ray of sunshine this morning, buddy. When I said I was coming over here she said the basket was a care package for you. She was going to drop it off after their run, but if I was heading this way she thought you could probably use it sooner rather than later. She also had your dress uniform from last night dry-cleaned this morning," he added as he laid the clothes on the couch.

It was at that moment Chip realized he wasn't wearing the same clothes he went to the party in.

Lee asked the obvious question, "What happened to you last night? The last time I saw you, you were out on the balcony."

Chip paused a moment trying to determine if he even knew the answer to that question. He opened the picnic basket to find a thermos of vegetable soup, a bottle of water, a bottle of aspirin and a note.

"Well?" asked Lee as he eyed the contents of the basket that now adorned the coffee table.

"Well," Chip tried to recount the events of last night to Lee as best as he could.

* * *

><p>"If I didn't know better Ryan, I'd say you've done this before," said Chip as the door to the alley closed and Chip and Ryan made their way to the parking lot.<p>

"I've had to attend a lot more social events on behalf of the institute than you have. I'm sure our resident secret agent man Crane will tell you, always have an exit strategy. The Admiral hates these events as much as we do, so it's my job to know all the ins and outs. Do you really think he stays to end of all these events?"

Morton had never thought about it before. Had the Admiral pulled a few Houdini's of his own during Institute functions? The two rounded the building into the parking lot and got into Ryan's red Mustang.

The journey wasn't long and they pulled up to a little shop in a part of town Chip had not been to. Chip followed her up to the door where she knocked. The sign was dark but he could still make out the name, Nitelife. The store was dark and Chip doubted it was even open. Someone peaked through the curtain, then the lock clicked and they opened the door.

"Rye, it's so great to see you! What brings you here? Oh it doesn't matter come in, come in both of you," welcomed the short brunette.

Chip and Ryan walked into the clothes shop while the brunette closed and locked the door behind them.

"Chip, this is my good friend Chantel and this is her clothing store. Everything here is one of her original designs. Chantel, this is Chip, he works at NIMR with me," introduce Ryan, "I was hoping we could maybe get a wardrobe change Chantel?"

"Anything you need, hon. I was waiting for you to drop by, I have the perfect outfit for you."

Chantel was a bubbly person and quite friendly thought Chip. This was the first friend of Ryan's he thought he had ever met. She handed Ryan a medium sized box and directed her to the first change room.

"What about you?" she asked Chip.

"What about me?"

Ryan yelled through the door, "I'm taking Chip out on the town, he needs some cheering up. I trust you can find him something appropriate."

"You just come with me dear," Chantel smiled as she pulled Chip to another change room.

"I don't know about this," stammered Chip and he followed Chantel.

"Trust me, Chip, she knows what she's doing," yelled Ryan.

Chip put on the clothes Chantel had picked out for him. He stopped and looked in the mirror. She had selected a pair of dark black jeans and a blue shirt. He stepped out of the change room to have Chantel tell him how great he looked. Apparently, the shirt brought out the glacial blue of his eyes. While the two waited for Ryan to finish putting herself together they engaged in some small talk.

"So you're a work friend of Rye's?" Chantel questioned.

"Yes. We' have worked together for years at the Institute. Have you two been friends long?"

"Ya, since we were teenagers. We use to perform together. She's an awesome friend and one hell of a girl."

"Performed together?" Chip knew there were many things he didn't know about Ryan's personal life, and based on what he did know, there was little that could surprise him, but this took him by surprise.

"Ya, we did a couple of ballets together. She was really good, probably could have done it professionally, but you know Rye . . .That looks so good Rye!"

Chip looked over to see that Ryan had come back into the room.

"What do you think?" she asked doing a little turn for her audience.

"It's absolutely perfect, hon!" commented Chantel.

Gone away was the little black dress to be replaced by a sleek sparkling silver sleeveless shirt with black leather pants and high heeled boots. Her hair was untied and now fell loosely framing her face.

Wow was the only thing that came to Morton's mind and he just nodded with Chantel's assessment.

"Just put it all on my account Chantel, and I'll pick up our other clothes tomorrow," Ryan offered as she did one last twirl in the mirror. Chip and Ryan started to make their way to the door.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house Rye. You two just have fun." Chantel winked at Morton as he exited the door.

* * *

><p>"So, Ryan snuck you out of the party and bought you that outfit you have on now from some trendy store?" asked Lee.<p>

"Yep."

"Well your night already sounds better than mine."

"That's just how it started."

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

.

* * *

><p>The red and black Mustang pulled into the parking lot behind a pub called Riverstone. The pair walked into pub. The interior was made of cherry colour wood and was well lit. The patrons varied from a group of hockey fans in team jerseys in front of the big screen, a few couples out on dates, a group of young kids singing karaoke, and a group of bikers in the corner. Ryan led him to a table near the stage. As they moved to their table Chip noticed a biker at the bar nod at Ryan.<p>

"Did that biker just nod at you?" he asked as he pulled out the chair for her.

"Him? Oh that's just Buzzard. We go way back."

"You go way back with a biker named Buzzard?" Morton questioned in disbelief.

The waiter approached. Before Chip could say anything, Ryan placed an order for, "a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses, please." The waiter nodded and promptly left to fill the order. "My dad used to own a bike shop. He was a biker in his youth. He rode with Buzzard. Buzzard hangs out here cause he owns the bar. He and another friend of my dad's co-owned it and when Jack died Buzzard let Jack's daughter, Lisa, run it. After I graduated at sixteen Lisa and Buzzard let me work here for a year before I went to University, so I know a lot of the employees here."

"They let you work at a bar underage?"

"I had a really good fake ID, and Buzzard made it his personal responsibility to make sure I wasn't drinking here. He figured it was worth it to let me work so I could afford school."

The waiter dropped off the bottle of tequila and two shot glasses and disappeared behind the bar once more. Ryan reached over and began to fill the shot glasses. Chip eyed the golden liquid in the glasses.

"Whiskey's for heartbreak and tequila for when you get cheated on," Ryan stated. "Look, I know you're an officer and a gentleman but it's after eleven so you're off duty, you're not in uniform, no one here knows you, and I promise I won't let you get drunk enough to swing off the chandeliers or completely lose your ability to stand."

Ryan slammed back her shot and poured another. _What have I got to lose?_ Thought Chip and he followed suit. An hour and a half bottle later Chip had given Ryan the complete rundown of his relationship with Jenna.

"Well, Chips Ahoy, you can do so much better. You've just got to get out there and find someone new, preferably not a shallow opportunistic witch. Now we've drank; you've vented; now it's time for fun. I'm putting our names down for the karaoke."

A look of horror passed over the blond's face. "I can't sing and it's getting late and I'm sure your guy Luke or Lane or Loren or Logan . . ."

"Landon."

"I'm sure he's going to be wondering where you are."

"First, everyone can sing, not everyone can carry a tune. Second, everyone here is drunk and not going to notice if their ears start to bleed. Third, Landon and I broke up about two weeks ago," she explained.

"I'm sorry," Chip replied sympathetically.

"Why? I'm not. He was looking for that a girl who is happy to stay at home being the perfect housewife, which is fine if that's what makes you happy, but I couldn't be that even if I tried. I love my career and my life and I'm not willing to change who I am to make someone else happy. Really it's for the best."

Chip envied the ease that Ryan seemed to have with getting over a former lover. Maybe she was right. Maybe Jenna wasn't worth all the heartache. Jenna wanted him to be what she thought he should be when he was happy with his current life and who he was.

* * *

><p>"So you're telling me she got you plastered and threatened karaoke," stated Crane as he brought in a couple of sandwiches from the kitchen. He passed one to Morton who ate it along with his vegetable soup.<p>

"I wasn't plastered, but I think the night could have easily rivaled some of our shore leave exploits. And she didn't just threaten karaoke she got me up there!"

"No!" Lee chuckled to himself.

"Yes. We did Puddle of Mudd's _She Hate Me_, which I think actually helped. She did a song by someone named Pink, and Ryan's rather good, and then I think I did one on my own called _Livin on a Prayer._ That's more a blur. I think I really just want to block that out."

"After what I'm sure was a brilliant rendition of _Livin on a Prayer_, you finally crawled home?"

"No." Chip blushed slightly and reached into his jeans pocket producing a handful of napkins. He laid the papers out on the coffee table. Each one of them had a name and a phone number on it. "She took me to a club she knows."

"And what, sold you to all the women there?"

"We spent an hour on the dance floor and when we went to the bar the waitress handed me these. Ryan got me to dance with a few of them. They seemed nice."

Somewhat amused at his friend's situation, Crane asked, "are you going to call any of them?"

"I don't think so, Lee. I met Jenna at a bar and look how that turned out," Chip explained.

It was the way Chip casually brushed off Jenna's name that got the Captain to think that Ryan's night out really did help Chip start to get over the women who had so recently ripped his heart out.

The two had finished their lunch and Chip had to admit that he was feeling way better. Lee helped him clean up the water bottles and lunch dishes. They returned to the living room and sat in their previous spots.

"So I have to ask, Chip, the great escape, the wardrobe make over, the pub, your musical debut and the club where you were clearly the object of many young ladies affection, what happened next?"

"Well, according to Ryan, I had successfully drunk away my sorrow, vented my frustration through song, rebounded on the dance floor, and now needed to reflect."

"I'm almost scared to ask, but how did you do that?"

"It was actually the best part of the night. We took a cab and ended up at this beach house that belonged to some rich friend of hers who was out of town. We arrived just before dawn and sat on the dock, drank champagne, talked and watched the sun come up."

* * *

><p>The little yellow cab pulled up to the huge beach front house and Ryan and Chip climbed out of the backseat. Ryan dug around in her purse until she produced a key chain with a single silver key. She turned the key in the lock and pushed open the massive front doors. Inside, an alarm system started counting down and Ryan moved towards a panel on the wall. She entered the appropriate code and the alarm system turned off.<p>

Ryan explained, "My friend, Thai, owns this place. He tells me he works for the government and has to travel a lot for work. He said I could use the place as much as I want when he's out of town so it doesn't look like the place is empty all the time. I come here and sit out on the dock to think. The view is beautiful out there."

Ryan went to the wine cooler and pulled out a bottle of champagne while Chip looked around the massive home. It was spectacular.

"Come on, the backdoor is over here." The brunette led the Exec down the boardwalk and out onto the dock. She was right. The view of the ocean was beautiful. The only sight more perfect was the view of the open sea when aboard _Seaview_. Ryan flipped a switch and the dock was lit-up by a thousand tiny little white lights. The pair sat in the two lounge chairs near the end of the dock waiting for the sun to rise.

"You said Thai works for the government?"

"That's what he tells me." Ryan chuckled to herself. "Personally I think he's a spy. He has a very James Bond kinda vibe, travels a lot, is surrounded by the finer things, speaks a bunch of languages, is rather a good shot," she explained as she opened the bottle of champagne, took a drink from the bottle then passed it over to Chip, who in turn did the same. Her face went serious for a moment, and then continued, "That or he's a white cat away from being a supervillian. But seriously the Admiral did a background check on him after he picked me up from the office for lunch a few times. I saw the paper work, and apparently he passed because I received the Admiral's approval that he was a nice boy and we would make a good couple."

They both smiled at each other. There was something about Ryan that made him feel at ease, like he could share anything with her. It was a kind of ease that he only felt around his close friends. He was glad that he let Ryan drag him out tonight. It might have been the tequila or the beers or the champagne but this was the best Morton had felt in the last five days, or after any break-up.

"I take it you're into guns if you know your super spy friend is a good shot."

"My dad used to take my brother Tyler and me out camping and we would shoot pop cans, so one day Thai asked If I wanted to go to the range and I said why not," she said stealing the champagne bottle from Chip and taking another drink. "I was really good at shooting pop cans."

Morton laughed out loud, "Pop cans all over the world are terrified."

"You laugh, but if the Institute is ever taken over by evil pop cans . . . I'm so your go to girl," she mocked.

"I'm just going to recap Ryan what I've learned about you Ryan. You're a singing ballerina, who does charity work with bikers and runs the Institute while hanging out with spies and can go Rambo on pop cans using both weapons and self-defence moves. Did I leave anything out?"

"You forgot brilliant and beautiful!"

"My mistake."

"Don't let it happen again Sailor."

The stories of their childhood continued until the champagne bottle was empty. After that the conversation turned to the beauty of the sunrise as the golden to red hues spilled across the ocean.

"Amazing isn't it?" Ryan whispered in awe.

Chip agreed. After a few moments and a few yawns the duo decided it was time to call it a night. Ryan called for a cab and they headed to Morton's place first. They staggered up the walk way and the exec fished for his keys. After several failed attempts to unlock the door the correct key was inserted and Ryan helped Chip inside. The XO flopped on the couch, finding it hard to keep his eyes open. He could hear jars clanging in the fridge and finally Ryan returned with an armful of water bottles.

"Hear, drink this," she instructed as she twisted off the white cap, "it will help with the hangover tomorrow." Ryan placed the bottles on the coffee table. She then passed Morton two pills from an Advil bottle. "Take these as well. Make sure you drink lots before you go to sleep and consider having vegetable soup tomorrow. It's the best cure for a night of drinking."

Chip took a drink of water and swallowed the pills. "Does Jamie know you're moonlighting as a doctor?"

"What makes you think it wasn't Will that gave me this hangover remedy?" Ryan said with a sly smile as she headed towards the front door.

Chip wasn't sure what to make of that statement. Will Jamieson and a night on the town? Somehow he couldn't picture the doctor as being the hard- partying, hangover- suffering type. Admiral Nelson had somewhat eluded to nights of misspent youth with the doctor. Maybe he should try and find out some more stories about the good doctor.

"Make sure you drink another bottle at least before you go to sleep," said Ryan as she slipped out the door, but Chip didn't hear her as he descended into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

.

* * *

><p>"And next thing I know, you're banging at the door," finished Chip.<p>

"So where do we stand on the whole Jenna thing?"

"Honestly," Chip gave Lee a sincere look, "I think Ryan's night out worked. I don't want to dwell on someone who clearly didn't share the same feelings that I felt for her. Am I completely over the situation, no, but I am completely over her."

It made Crane glad to hear that his best friend was getting past recent events. A happy Chip was a much better Chip. The Captain left Morton's place to let him get some rest. Hanging out with Ryan had really done him in last night, but still it seemed to have done Chip some good. Lee made a mental note to do something nice for the girl who had helped his best friend when he could not.

Chip listened to the door close and laid down on the couch. He opened the note again and stared at the simple white paper.

_Chips Ah__oy,_

_Hope the hangover isn't too killer. I figured you wouldn't be too together_

_to continue with the hangover remedy so I took the liberty of preparing you a_

_care package. Hope the sun is out for you today but if it's not remember_

_wicked witches melt in water. Thanks for the adventure last night. I'd_

_love to do it again with you.,_

_Your partner in crime, Rye_

Chip smiled to himself as he remembered the moment he shared with Ryan. Maybe when he figured it out he'd share the rest of the story with Lee.

* * *

><p>"How did you know this night would cheer me up?" the blond asked thoughtfully.<p>

"It's easier to get over heartbreak if you weren't really in love."

"You never once asked if I loved her," stated Chip as he gazed out at the horizon.

"I think you were more in love with the idea than the person. Besides you seemed more upset that she said you were boring than with the whole she cheated on you and then dumped you thing. And you never referred to her as the women you loved or asked how someone you loved could do that."

Chip took a moment to take in the latest revelation.

"And you're not."

"Not what?"

"Boring. You're safe."

"Safe? That doesn't sound any better. I thought all the girls were running to the bad boys not the safe ones."

"It is a good thing. You make people feel safe around you, like they can be themselves and don't have to worry about what others will think about them. And I know you have a wild side. I saw it tonight especially during your performance of _Born the Be Wild._"

"Let's never mention that to ANYONE! EVER!"

"Scouts honor." Ryan raised her hand in promise and turned to look back at the sunrise.

Ryan whispered in awe, "Amazing isn't it?"

"Amazing," was Chips response but it wasn't the sunrise he was looking at. He had looked at Ryan many times but at this moment he felt like they were the only two people in the world and some long kept secret had just been revealed. After a few moments and a few yawns the duo decided it was time to call it a night. Chip was the first to make a tipsy attempt at standing. After he achieved his goal he offered assistance to Ryan. The hand he offered didn't so much help as hinder and she ended up falling into this arms. It was a brief moment but their eyes met and in that moment Chip believed he saw something there. Did she feel the same way? He was going to find out. Morton wasn't sure how but one day not overshadowed by heart break and drowning sorrows in booze he was going to find another perfect moment with Ryan.

The end.

* * *

><p>Thank-you to everyone who read this story.<p>

Thank-you very much to AllTrekkedUp and everyone who reviewed this story.

A special thanks to Red Aurora for the awesome beta work!


End file.
